Skip to main content

News Articles

  • Fri, 15/03/2024 - 10:35

    Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Selwyn three minute thesis competition. It’s an opportunity for undergraduate and postgraduate students to explain their academic work - against the clock. The senior tutor, Dr Mike Sewell, describes the event as “a fun and interesting session where students at various stages of their careers – undergraduate, MPhil and doctoral – present briefly about the project work that they are doing.” It’s a means of showing the range and ambition of studies within the college.

    Thesis winners with Roger Mosey

    We heard from 16 speakers over two nights, with a good audience turnout in the Quarry Whitehouse auditorium. The winners were:

    Wednesday 13 March - Matthew Doyle (undergraduate) and Joel Kandiah (postgraduate).

    Thursday - Edith Charlesworth (undergraduate) and Jaylen Simons (postgraduate).

     

    Edith, Jaylen and Joel are seen with the master Roger Mosey, who presented the prizes. The college is grateful to the JCR and MCR for organising the contests.

  • Thu, 22/02/2024 - 15:26
    Ditton Park Academy
    Ditton Park Academy
    Roundhay Sixth Form
    Roundhay Sixth Form

    Our school visitors in the early weeks of 2024 have represented both our key outreach areas: East Berkshire and West Yorkshire. We welcomed, among others, Ditton Park Academy from Slough and Roundhay Sixth Form from Leeds. The purpose, as with all our schools outreach, is a simple one: to demystify Cambridge and to show the reality of the modern university and its colleges. We hope that these visits raise aspirations by allowing pupils to envisage themselves at a top university and encouraging them to stay committed to education.

    Ditton Park visited the Whipple Museum of the History of Science during their visit. Roundhay went into the city and got the opportunity to explore, as well as having an introduction to Selwyn and tours of the college with the help of our student ambassadors.

    A teacher accompanying another recent school visit wrote to us afterwards: "The trip was exactly what our students needed... Our intake is really varied in terms of socio-economic factors. We are a true comprehensive school... The student guides were excellent and our students could see that they were not too far removed from themselves! The ability to be able to walk around the campus and see things really helped them understand more about university life and what priorities they might need to take into consideration when making their decision." 

    There’s more about visits to Selwyn here: https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/.../access-and.../visits-cambridge

  • Thu, 08/02/2024 - 12:59

    Alumni and friends along with current fellows and students gathered in the magnificent setting of the Drapers' Hall in London to mark the life of our former master Sir David Harrison (1930-2023) and the success already of the fund established in his memory.

    Alumni at Draper's Hall

    The speakers included the master, Roger Mosey; medical fellow Professor Charlotte Summers; and David's son Michael. We are thrilled that more than 300 alumni and friends have already contributed to the Sir David Harrison fund for the teaching of science, and the total raised has passed £500,000. There is more information here: https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/alumni/sir-david-harrison-fund

    Draper's Hall

    And see more photos from the event on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/.../selalum/sets/72177720314515644/

  • Thu, 25/01/2024 - 11:45

    We have been notifying applicants about the outcome of the undergraduate admissions process. Huge congratulations to those who received offers, and for those who didn't: be assured that the standard was extremely high and we only wish we could have admitted everyone.

     

    Here are some of the key statistics:

     

    *860 people applied to Selwyn this year

    *We have made 162 offers (including a small number for deferred entry)

    *Additionally, 48 candidates who applied to Selwyn as their first choice have received offers from other colleges through the pool system

     

    That means that the success rate for Cambridge offers amongst our applicants was very nearly 1:4.

     

    The number of interviews, which were mainly held in person for the first time since 2019, totalled 1200 (candidates have more than one interview) and were conducted by 84 different academics.

     

    Now we wish the best of luck in exams to all the offer-holders; and we very much hope to see you at Selwyn later this year.

  • Fri, 12/01/2024 - 12:22

    The start of Lent term sees the return of our popular speaker events, to which college members and the wider Cambridge community are warmly invited.

    The first, on Thursday January 18th, featured alumnus Jon Silverman discussing why there was much political noise - but almost no decisive action - on dealing with Nazi war criminals in the UK. To view online, please click here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ0aIAycxWQ

    Then on Tuesday January 23rd, another alumnus Shehab Khan visited us to show the film he made about his journey to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia – and he answered questions under the title of “Faith, television and me”. Shehab is a political reporter and presenter for ITV News, and he was joined on the panel by ITV commissioner Delilah Jeary.

    The session in the auditorium can be viewed here:        

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rG687AGQlU

    And the film is available separately on ITV X:

    https://www.itv.com/watch/the-hajj-a-journey-through-mecca/10a4885

     

    Shehab Khan ITV Policital reporter and presenter image in news room

    Other events later in the term will be announced in due course, including a new flagship lecture about the work and legacy of the writer VS Naipaul.

  • Wed, 10/01/2024 - 10:07

    Selwyn College is pleased to announce that Steph Cadman (SE 2017) has been awarded the inaugural Bill Turnbull Prize for clinical medicine. Dr Cadman won the award thanks to her outstanding achievement in the clinical part of the medical course, for which she was given MB BChir with distinction. In addition to her academic excellence, she made a significant contribution to the Selwyn community – particularly the support of her medical colleagues – whilst a Selwyn student.    

     

    Steph Cadman

     

    The Bill Turnbull Prize was created in memory of the television and radio broadcaster, who died in 2022. Bill Turnbull was a frequent visitor to Selwyn, and some of his treatment for cancer took place in the Ipswich hospital where many Cambridge students pursue their clinical learning. We are grateful to the benefactors who made this possible, and we would welcome any further donations to the Bill Turnbull fund. Please contact our development team: development@sel.cam.ac.uk. The photograph shows Bill at Selwyn on one of the occasions when he talked to students.

     

    Students

     

    Dr Cadman is now working in the NHS as an FY1 doctor at UCLH – the cluster of hospitals based around University College Hospital in London. We congratulate her on this award.   

  • Tue, 02/01/2024 - 13:24

    A message from the new president of the MCR - which represents Selwyn graduate students:

    "Hi everyone! My name is Ashley Fox-Wiltshire and I have been elected MCR president for 2024. I am from South Wales and am now in my fourth year of studying medicine at Selwyn. Outside of my degree I enjoy working on history of science research at The Needham Research Institute. I’m looking forward to supporting students through my role on the MCR and making sure everyone has a lovely year!"

    We congratulate Ashley on her election. She will join the college council and the governing body with immediate effect.

    Ashley Fox-Wiltshire

     

  • Thu, 21/12/2023 - 11:41

    The college received magnificent backing from alumni and friends in the telephone campaign which took place in December 2023. A total of more than £100,000 has been raised through conversations between current students and old members. We’re extremely grateful for the generosity of our supporters; and you can donate online at any time to help future generations of Selwynites. Just visit this page: https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/donate-now

    Student Telephone Campaign Callers

    We’re also pleased to report that the Sir David Harrison Fund, set up in memory of our much-loved former master, has raised £350,000 in the months since its launch. This fund will be dedicated to enhancing the college’s teaching of science, engineering and maths – and anyone interested in finding out more, including about naming opportunities for specific initiatives, should contact our development team via development@sel.cam.ac.uk.
    You can read more about the fund here: https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/alumni/sir-david-harrison-fund

    Student Telephone Campaign Callers

  • Thu, 21/12/2023 - 10:38

    Here's our 2023 Christmas card. It was created by first-year undergraduate in natural sciences Luna Kefford, who painted this view of the Selwyn chapel. There was a brilliant selection of entries in our design competition open to all Selwyn students, and this is the first time that the winner has been an undergraduate fresher.

    Many congratulations to Luna - and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.   

    Selwyn Christmas Card Robin on a bench by Luna Kefford

     

  • Tue, 05/12/2023 - 13:23

    This year, our campaign focusses on the world-class teaching Selwyn provides. The Sir David Harrison Fund is a major new initiative as part of our tribute to our late master, to support teaching in the sciences, engineering and maths. Teaching is at the heart of what we do as a college. There is nothing more important than instilling the next generation with the learning that they need, and this is an area in which we now need specific investment.

     

    Find out more and get involved...